Page 16 - Japanese Growth and Education: 演講人：Motohisa Kaneko教授

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The industry

The fast universalization of lower secondary education created abundant
supply of young labor force equipped with basic knowledge. In the 1960s, the
focus of development shifted to heavy and manufacturing industries catering the

opening export market. That necessitated a large number of production workers,
The lower secondary schools functioned in effect rendered a mechanism to
recruit the young labor population to the industrial centers through a nationally

organized.
The growth of the economy also created demands for related finance
and commerce industries, s the economy grew, not only manufacturing but

also various commerce and services industries grew. Graduates from upper
secondary schools were employed in those sectors. Eventually, the industries
started employing college graduates, not only as engineers and sciences but also

white-collar jobs. It was mentioned above that the increasing high school and
university graduates filled this need.
It is unclear whether the growth in the demand of educated workers

induced increased supply of educated workers, as economic logic would like to
see. Probably, the reality was much more intricate.
The strength and efficiency of Japanese firms derived from the knowledge

shared locally at the work place. The body of the knowledge encompassed
unique sets of information and know-how that improve efficiency under the
particular setting of production, or “Tacit Knowledge.” In producing goods or

rendering services, any worker should be equipped with a body of knowledge
and skills that are not necessarily systematized or expressed in the form of
writing. They are created within the organization through addressing practical

problems that the organization is facing, and shared and transmitted through the